沒有國民黨就沒有中國, Without the Kuomintang there would be no China, A Republic of China Story

Be funny if the Kuomintang established ties to Far-Right Parties in the West, I can especially see the Kuomintang reaching out to Giorgio Almirante's Neo-Fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano in Italy. That and in OTL, Chiang did form the World Anti-Communist League where numerous Anti-Communists including Fascists and Neo-Nazis joined this group. I mean Giorgio Almirante along with Otto Skorzeny to name a few was also a member of Chiang's WACL. Although I could see China having friendly ties with the Fascistic Regimes of Francoist Spain and Salazarist Portugal.
 
Last edited:
Be funny if the Kuomintang established ties to Far-Right Parties in the West, I can especially see the Kuomintang reaching out to Giorgio Almirante's Neo-Fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano in Italy. That and in OTL, Chiang did form the World Anti-Communist League where numerous Anti-Communists including Fascists and Neo-Nazis joined this group. I mean Giorgio Almirante along with Otto Skorzeny to name a few was also a member of Chiang's WACL. Although I could see China having friendly ties with the Fascistic Regimes of Francoist Spain and Salazarist Portugal.
He's on good terms with Franco. Salazar isn't too happy about the KMT instigating protests in Macau.

Chiang's position in TTL 60s is very different than the OTL 60s. He controls most of the territory he claims as part of China, and is in less of a need to seek alliances with fringe movements.
 
四十八, Europe
The Second World War left much of Europe in ruins. It was the responsibility of the US and USSR to rebuild a continent. Most of Western Europe fell into the pro-American camp and most of Eastern Europe fell into the pro-Soviet camp. There were also neutral countries. Both sides were concerned about ideological encroachment on their section of Europe. There was legitimate concern that a Communist takeover might occur in Italy or Greece. Likewise, the Soviets found that the people of Poland were particularly resistant to Communism. Germany and Austria were split into separate allied occupation zones. There were proposals to make both countries neutral. This was successful in Austria. Malenkov blamed America for the failure to establish a neutral Germany.

Britain and France were on the victorious side of the Second World War, but those countries were not in good shape after the war. Thus, both countries and their empires went into decline. Their influence would decrease while America’s influence increased. The election of an isolationist president in America resulted in a temporary reversal of American influence in Europe. Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, and West Germany expanded their armed forces in order to counter any possible Soviet incursions. But Taft died and his successors were more committed to European alliances. France and Britain did their fair share of fighting against Communists. France fought in Vietnam while Britain fought in Malaysia. Britain was also involved in a coup that brought down a pro-Soviet government in Iran. The rise of Communism or Soviet fellow-travelers in the Middle East became an increasing priority for Britain under Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden and beyond.

1657362896863.jpeg

(Left: Winston Churchill, Right: Anthony Eden)

The East was behind what Churchill called “The Iron Curtain.” While some enthusiastically embraced Communism, others saw the Soviets as no better than the Nazis they replaced. There were protests against local Communist governments in East Germany but they were put down by the Soviet Army. East Germany had to build a wall to keep its citizens from escaping into the West. Small-scale resistance to Communism was put down in other Eastern Bloc countries. In 1956, there were large-scale protests against the Stalinist government of Bolesław Bierut. Protesters had a variety of grievances. Striking workers were joined by conservative Catholics angry at the government’s anti-religion policies. The protests inspired protests in Hungary as well. Polish and Soviet soldiers brutally put down the protests, killing many. This response caused the Hungarian protests to fizzle out and the few who continued to protest were arrested.

1657362822079.jpeg

(Bolesław Bierut)

Poland under Bolesław Bierut and Hungary under Ernő Gerő both had governments that were aligned with Malenkov’s Soviet Union. The governments of East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and Bulgaria were similar. Other Communist leaders were more independent-minded. Yugoslavia was a classic example of this. The country was led by Joseph Broz Tito, a man who did not get along well with Stalin. Tito’s Yugoslavia got along better with Malenkov, but was still not a puppet state of the Soviets. In the 1960s, Yugoslavia pursued closer relations with China. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej’s Romania traded heavily with both China and the West, despite otherwise being loyal to the Soviet Union. In the 1960s, his successor, Nicolae Ceaușescu would be more like Tito when it came to foreign policy.
 
Last edited:
The Second World War left much of Europe in ruins. It was the responsibility of the US and USSR to rebuild a continent. Most of Western Europe fell into the pro-American camp and most of Eastern Europe fell into the pro-Soviet camp. There were also neutral countries. Both sides were concerned about ideological encroachment on their section of Europe. There was legitimate concern that a Communist takeover might occur in Italy or Greece. Likewise, the Soviets found that the people of Poland were particularly resistant to Communism. Germany and Austria were split into separate allied occupation zones. There were proposals to make both countries neutral. This was successful in Austria. Malenkov blamed America for the failure to establish a neutral Germany.

Britain and France were on the victorious side of the Second World War, but those countries were not in good shape after the war. Thus, both countries and their empires went into decline. Their influence would decrease while America’s influence increased. The election of an isolationist president in America resulted in a temporary reversal of American influence in Europe. Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, and West Germany expanded their armed forces in order to counter any possible Soviet incursions. But Taft died and his successors were more committed to European alliances. France and Britain did their fair share of fighting against Communists. France fought in Vietnam while Britain fought in Malaysia. Britain was also involved in a coup that brought down a pro-Soviet government in Iran. The rise of Communism or Soviet fellow-travelers in the Middle East became an increasing priority for Britain under Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden and beyond.

View attachment 757085
(Left: Winston Churchill, Right: Anthony Eden)

The East was behind what Churchill called “The Iron Curtain.” While some enthusiastically embraced Communism, others saw the Soviets as no better than the Nazis they replaced. There were protests against local Communist governments in East Germany but they were put down by the Soviet Army. East Germany had to build a wall to keep its citizens from escaping into the West. Small-scale resistance to Communism was put down in other Eastern Bloc countries. In 1956, there were large-scale protests against the Stalinist government of Bolesław Bierut. Protesters had a variety of grievances. Striking workers were joined by conservative Catholics angry at the government’s anti-religion policies. The protests inspired protests in Hungary as well. Polish and Soviet soldiers brutally put down the protests, killing many. This response caused the Hungarian protests to fizzle out and the few who continued to protest were arrested.

View attachment 757084
(Bolesław Bierut)

Poland under Ernő Gerő and Hungary under Bolesław Bierut both had governments that were aligned with Malenkov’s Soviet Union. The governments of East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and Bulgaria were similar. Other Communist leaders were more independent-minded. Yugoslavia was a classic example of this. The country was led by Joseph Broz Tito, a man who did not get along well with Stalin. Tito’s Yugoslavia got along better with Malenkov, but was still not a puppet state of the Soviets. In the 1960s, Yugoslavia pursued closer relations with China. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej’s Romania traded heavily with both China and the West, despite otherwise being loyal to the Soviet Union. In the 1960s, his successor, Nicolae Ceaușescu would be more like Tito when it came to foreign policy.
The question is who is iTTL's Warsaw Pact.
 
Didn't even occur to me that we hadn't really looked at Europe yet. Nice check-in, and liking how some countries are forging ties with China instead of the Soviets or the West.
 
The question is who is iTTL's Warsaw Pact.
It's called the Eurasian Mutual Cooperation Pact.
Didn't even occur to me that we hadn't really looked at Europe yet. Nice check-in, and liking how some countries are forging ties with China instead of the Soviets or the West.
Yeah, I hadn't talked much about Europe because it wasn't overly relevant to what's going on in China yet. That's why most of the foreign updates are about the superpowers or other Asian countries.
 
四十九, The many travels of Chiang Kai-shek
Before he fell and injured himself in 1970, a fact hidden from the public until after his death, Chiang Kai-shek was a well-traveled man. He had lived in Japan and visited the Soviet Union before becoming President of China. His youngest son, Chiang Wei-kuo, was adopted. His parents were Chiang Kai-shek’s friend Dai Jitao and a Japanese woman. Chiang Kai-shek was very pro-Soviet when he was in his 30s, and sent his older son, Chiang Ching-kuo, to study there. During the Second World War, Chiang Kai-shek visited India and Burma, and participated in the Cairo Conference in Egypt. During the 1950s, Chiang visited a few other countries in Asia, such as South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In the 1960s, he travelled around the world more extensively.

In 1960, he began a tour of North America. He arrived in Vancouver, a city with a large overseas Chinese population that even had a branch of the Kuomintang present there. He met with Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Chiang appreciated Diefenbaker’s opposition to racial discrimination and KMT operatives within Canada encouraged Chinese-Canadians to support him. He then went to visit Seattle and San Fransisco, giving speeches in Chinese to Chinese-American audiences along with T.V. Soong. He then visited New York and Washington DC, where he met with US President William Knowland, who had met with Chiang in China in 1959. He also met with Representative Walter Judd, a strong ally of the ROC in congress, and Vice President Everett Dirksen, who was China’s favorite candidate in the 1960 elections.

1657460744848.jpeg

(John Diefenbaker)

Chiang then moved on to Cuba. In 1959, the government had been toppled by a revolution. The new leader, Fidel Castro, took the Republic of China as an inspiration for a post-colonial future. Though he also had pro-Soviet sympathies, Chiang Kai-shek was willing to overlook that. He then went to Mexico to discuss trade with Adolfo Mateos. He then visited Guatemala and met Jacobo Árbenz. Though Árbenz enacted many leftist policies, and was not popular with the Americans, he was not a Communist. He had a lot in common with Chiang Kai-shek. In 1961, 5,000 Guatemalan students were given scholarships to study Chinese and other subjects. In the future Chiang would also go to Argentina and visit Juan Peron, another leader who was similar to Chiang Kai-shek.

1657460792564.jpeg

(Jacobo Árbenz)

Chiang visited Singapore in British Malaya to speak with Lim Chong Eu of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a political party aligned with the Kuomintang. Independence was coming soon, and Chiang Kai-shek hoped to send large numbers of Chinese immigrants to Malaysia in order to increase Chinese influence there. He visited Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. While in these countries, he got commitments from leaders there to treat Chinese minorities well. He also met with Chinese generals in Vietnam, including his son Chiang Wei-kuo, to discuss military strategy. Chiang was hopeful that all of Southeast Asia might fall under the Chinese sphere of influence. The May 5 Incident, the attempted Coup against Chiang Kai-shek, occurred right after he came back from Laos.

In 1965, Chiang went to London. He met with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home. Chiang Kai-shek was in his late 70s, and Britain was the most powerful country on earth when he was born. Now, Chiang sat at the table with the Prime Minister as an equal. Chiang dined with British royalty in London. Chiang could speak a little English, and had some phrases and jokes memorized for the feast. His wife, Soong Mei-ling, spoke excellent English and was a great help for him when he visited English-speaking countries or hosted English-speaking guests. Chiang’s previous dislike of the British was fading away. Though Prince Philip enjoyed the company of the Chiangs, he also made a remark that was culturally insensitive. Soong Mei-ling decided not to translate it.

1657460991843.jpeg
1657460950286.jpeg

(Left: Alec Douglas-Home, Right: Queen Elizabeth II)

Chiang’s other European visits were more controversial. In West Germany he gave a speech condemning Communism, where he was joined by Chiang Wei-kuo, his son who had served in the Wehrmacht [1]. He also met with Francisco Franco, a dictator who was compared to Chiang and vice-versa. He visited Rome where he met with Pope Paul VI and also Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro. China was helping Italy develop nuclear weapons. Chiang Kai-shek also visited Joseph Broz Tito in Belgrade and Nicolae Ceausescu in Bucharest. Tito and Ceausescu were criticized in much of the Communist world for meeting with an arch anti-Communist. Chiang Kai-shek was criticized by some of his own supporters like Chen Lifu for the visit.

1657461117704.jpeg

(Francisco Franco)

Chiang Kai-shek visited Africa once more when he visited Madagascar, where there was a significant Chinese community. He also visited Australia, where he pleaded with Australian leaders to end the White Australia policy, with no success. Chiang’s final trip abroad was in 1969, when he met with Georgy Malenkov in New Delhi, India. Shortly afterwards, he visited Tibet, where he met with Tibetan politicians as well as the Dalai Lama for the first and only time. In 1970, he visited Taiwan and met with two promising young Kuomintang leaders; Lee Teng-hui and Lin Yang-kang. He would return to Nanjing and spend the rest of his life in mainland China. For the rest of his presidency, any foreign visits would be conducted by Vice President Sun Fo, Foreign Minister James Shen, or Chiang Ching-kuo.

1: Chiang Wei-kuo was sent to Germany to study the German military. He was recalled shortly before the invasion of Poland.
 
Is China setting itself up to become the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement ITTL? The growing power of China economically and politically might serve to lean Cuba, Guatemala, and others away from the Soviet Union while also championing anti-Imperialist sentiments against the West.
 
Is China setting itself up to become the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement ITTL? The growing power of China economically and politically might serve to lean Cuba, Guatemala, and others away from the Soviet Union while also championing anti-Imperialist sentiments against the West.
Maybe.
 

Windows95

Banned
So was the China model of maintaining social conservatism while keeping economic statism an inspiration to the right-wing of the Algerian FLN, in contrast to the top leadership wanting some sort of Algerian socialism? Did China's economic model inspired post-colonial agendas for mainstream and political Islamists?
 
Last edited:
Interesting to see China's relationships with the various other countries aside from the superpowers. I'm especially intrigued by Castro taking Chiang as an inspiration instead of being communist.
 
I'm especially intrigued by Castro taking Chiang as an inspiration instead of being communist.
Instead of founding the Communist Party of Cuba (The Communists being a merger of Castro's movement and other movements/parties), I could see Castro forming a Cuban Nationalist Party which adopts ideology and policies similar to the Three Principles having been inspired by the KMT.
 
Last edited:
So was the China model of maintaining social conservatism while keeping economic statism an inspiration to the right-wing of the Algerian FLN, in contrast to the top leadership wanting some sort of Algerian socialism? Did China's economic model inspired post-colonial agendas for mainstream and political Islamists?
Algeria post-independence will be aligned with China. China's relationship with various Islamist groups will vary over the years, sometimes they'll be seen as useful to Chinese foreign policy goals, while at other times they'll be opposed.
I take it the "Liberating Revolution" was either a failure or butterflied away ITTL.
It failed.
 
I do suspect when Kai-Shek passes on, we will see some potential schisms in the party and potentially having the polticial party split.

What sort of system is it and voting? First past the post?
And what about Chiang Ching-kuo? How does he factor into this?
Will he help in the transition to democracy as in OTL?
 
Top